His Grace was born Pēteris Bērziņš on March 16, 1957, in Cooma, Australia, of Latvian Orthodox refugees, Leonid (1921-1996) and Margarita (b. 1924) Bērziņš. He grew up in Cooma and graduated with a philological degree from the Australian National University. Vladyka John is fluent in ancient Greek and Latin.